Household beauty regimes can damage your skin: Experts

January 22, 2013

London: Raiding your kitchen for skincare solutions might not be such a good idea!Honey, toothpaste and lemon juice are included by many in their household beauty regimes but these `natural` remedies might actually be damaging your skin, experts have claimed.

Pharmacists have warned against believing old wives` tales and said that using vinegar to tackle pimples, or mayonnaise to sooth eczema, could actually aggravate the conditions.

In a survey, two out of three people admitted to raiding the fridge or the larder to tackle their skin complaints, the Daily Mail reported.

Top of the list of so-called remedies was toothpaste, with 18 per cent of Brits admitting to having tried it to soothe their skin.

“Toothpaste, for example, can be useful for drying out pimples, as it absorbs oils but can contains high levels of hydrogen peroxide, which damages healthy skin cells causing burning and irritation,” Riley said.

“Vinegar and lemon juice both have acidic properties which can have a harsh drying effect, causing irritation, abrasion and redness of the skin,” Riley added.